Perfect Bride
by An Unknown Foreign Beauty
Summary: AU. After the accident at the matchmaker's. Mulan is married off to Shang to save her family from disgrace. Shang is forced to join the war at their wedding night. Mulan is returned to her father's home, and joins the army instead of her father. When Shang begins to develop feelings for the newest boy in his troop, then he finds out he is actually his wife whom he left behind...
1. An unwanted marriage

**Perfect bride**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

**Chapter 1- An Unwanted Marriage**

"Mulan."

Her father's normal speaking voice sounded gentler than usual. After the accident at the matchmaker's, Mulan did not expect him to be so kind to her. Her life turned miserable since the day she set fire to the matchmaker's skirt. In the entire world, the only thing that was not awful this morning was her father. Her father, the told war veteran Fa Zhou, who should have been furious, who Mulan had thought would disown her for less than what she'd done at the matchmaker's, was the soul of gentle understanding.

"I know how you feel, darling." He whispered miserably. "I wish I could stop this from happening."

"You should not, baba." Curled up in a tight ball of misery against her father, Mulan watched her childhood house sway and pitch and lunge from view. She shifted her gaze to her father from the window, "Why are you looking so sad?" She tried to smile forcefully, "It is my wedding day."

"You barely know him." Fa Zhou sighed, "And I feel like I am marrying you off to some stranger."

Mulan knew how he felt. Even after the accident at the matchmaker's, when everyone started to blame her, her father never used any harsh word about her. She heard the neighbors talking about her with disgust, girls looking at her with pity, and her mother crying on her grandmother's shoulder. She tore away her bridal make-up and ran into the deepest part of the forest to relive her family from this disgrace. She did not expect anyone to find her, but her father did. He always did. The wise, old war veteran Fa Zhou always knew his daughter well. Sometimes Mulan thought he knew her more than she knew herself. He carried her home, laid in her bed, and stayed with her while she sobbed in his lap. But Mulan knew her father was suffering too. She understood how much her family was suffering because of her. Why would not they? It was a disgrace to have a daughter declared as an improper bride in public.

Their suffering came to an end when an old friend of Fa Zhou came to visit. General Shang, the captain of the emperor's army, came to collect soldiers for the impending war with the Huns. He stopped to visit the Fa family, and when he heard about his friend's trouble with his only daughter, he offered a solution.

"I think my son Li Shang can marry your daughter." He said to his friend, waiting for his reaction, "Since the war is drawing closer, I want to see some grandkids as soon as possible."

Grandmother Fa looked absolutely delighted. "Yes, it will be a great arrangement." She said delightfully.

"But mother…" Fa Zhou tried to protest, but the oldest member of the Fa family silenced her son immediately. Her mother, Fa Li gasped, and Fa Zhou was shocked. An uncomfortable silence fell across the room. Mulan could only stare at her grandmother wordlessly.

"Look, son," Grandmother Fa said, finally breaking the silence, "It is the only way to bring back our lost honor." She watched Mulan from the corner of her eyes, and continued, "Besides who wants to marry a girl rejected by the matchmaker?"

It was true. Mulan looked at her father's thoughtful face, and her mother's sad one. It was the only way to undo the damage she had done to her family.

Besides who would want to marry a girl who disgraced her family in public?

"It will be alright, baba." So, she took her father's hand, and patted it gently. "See I will be happy with my new husband. I will bring back your lost honor."

"Are you sure, darling?" Mulan could feel her father's keen eyes watching her anxiously. She was feeling as guilty as her father.

"Yes, I am, baba." She swallowed again and again.

The carriage stopped in front of the Fa family temple. Mulan made an effort to see the faces of the guests, but she could see anyone except her mother and her grandmother. They had arrived in another carriage a few minutes before them. Her mother hurried to her side as Mulan stepped down from the carriage, and her father led her inside the temple.

A moment later another carriage arrived carrying the groom and his father.

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Despite her determination to ignore it, her wedding had a distinct aura of unreality, of strain. It actually took less than ten minutes, attended only by her parents, her grandmother and her future in laws. She was led to the groom by her father. They had not exchanged a word except in answer to their vows. Soon after the ceremony she was shoved into her new husband's carriage. Mulan was so much occupied with her own misery all the time, that she did not bother to look at her new husband. But now, sitting opposite to him, in a couch, she could not but escape one or two glimpses of the man she married. His name was Li Shang or so she had heard from her mother. He was the captain of one of the finest troops in the king's army. And he had a distinct aura of supremacy around him. He was a tall and muscular, surely fitted for his position. His long dark hair was tied in a neat bun above his head. There was something unnerving about his eyes; Mulan could not tell what it was. His expression was unreadable. So, Mulan was not sure if he was happy or angry with this marriage.

It was odd that she felt so insecure and uneasy; Mulan mused, for she had just saved her family from further disgrace by this marriage. But now, being married to a complete stranger, she was feeling completely clueless, like she had lost way and had no idea what to do next. Even she had no idea what kind of man her husband was, and the thought of going to bed with a complete stranger tonight was choking her.

So, Mulan looked out of the window, trying to enjoy the changing landscapes around her. But she could hardly concentrate, because she felt her husband was watching her curiously, like he was assessing her, and measuring her from all angles. Maybe she had mistaken, but she was sure she had seen a hint of a faint smile in his lips.

Finally the carriage stopped in front of a huge pleasant looking house, painted with ancient Chinese arts. The whole cottage was decorated with ribbons and candles of different colors. It was so beautiful, that Mulan could not hold back her curiosity.

Uncertain of what to do next, she asked, "What is this place?" She bit her tongue immediately. She forgot that brides were not supposed to speak without the permission of their husbands.

After all first impression always mattered. And she had just made a bad first impression to her husband.

She expected him to be furious. When she looked at his face, she found him watching her closely. His expression was still unreadable, but, as his gaze drifted from the top of her shining hair to the hem of her gleaming silk ruqun, she sensed that he was finally going to say something, and she held her breath expectantly.

"It is our new home," He smiled; offering her his hand, "And it is time to take your responsibility as my wife."

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**Probably not my best idea. It is an AU set during the first movie. If Mulan is married off to Shang to save her family from disgrace after the accident at the matchmaker's. A lot of drama, darkness and sexual frustrations are coming. (Maybe will be rated to M later).**

**This is my first Mulan fic. English is not my first language. So some errors maybe left. Consider them nicely.**


	2. A husband's expectation

**Perfect Bride**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

**Chapter 2- A Husband's Expectation**

Mulan was not sure if she was ready to be someone's wife, let alone taking the responsibility coming with the position. While serving the tea to the wedding guests, she wondered if she was cut out to be a wife at all. Fortunately she did not repeat the same incident at the matchmaker's and finished serving tea to all of the wedding guests without spilling or setting them on fire. She needed to find out which one of her lucky charms helped her today- the lucky cricket tucked inside her wedding dress or the blessing of her ancestors. After serving the tea, Mulan was finally allowed to take her seat beside her husband at the banquet table.

"A toast for my son and his bride." General Shang announced, his voice like a thunderclap in the unnatural, tomblike silence of the crowded hall. "May they enjoy a long and fruitful life together."

He raised his teacup and smiled warmly at the bride's parents. The Fa family raised their teacups and smiled gratefully at the groom's father. The crowd cheered wishing the new couple a lot of happiness. Mulan escaped a glance of her husband sitting beside her, watching the cheering crowd. Their eyes met for a moment and he smiled in return. Mulan was dying to know if he was feeling the same, but sadly the newly wedded couple was not permitted to talk with each other in the presence of elders.

She shifted her gaze to the foods from her husband. There were almost ten or more items were served, decorated with ingredients such as shark's fin, abalone, lobster, squab, sea cucumber, swift nests, fish roe on top of each dishes to symbolize fertility, to remind her duty to her husband, to remind her duty as a wife, even when she was married to a complete stranger.

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An hour later, clad in a cherry nightdress, Mulan followed her husband upstairs accompanied by an army of married women from the groom's family. They kept whispering advices in her ear about how to please her husband tonight, some of them were too extreme to make her blush. Mulan was actually seeking some advice from her mother, but she was with her father downstairs discussing the dowry. Finally, they stopped in front of their honeymoon suit and Mulan followed her husband inside.

The room was heavily decorated with roses- the walls, the ceilings, even the bedposts were adorned with gorgeous chains of roses. Mulan glanced about her, admiring the beauty of the flowers around her and the crystal-and-silver lamps above her head. Luxuriating in the unexpected comfort of her new home, she tried to believe she was really married, ready to spend her first night with her husband. Her husband, Shang, who had already locked the door, sank into the comfort of the bed, stretched his legs out, crossed them at the ankles, and concentrated on a parchment he was carrying with him, lapsing into a comfortable silence. She wondered if he wanted to go through the next part of the marriage ritual tonight, and what she would do if he asked her to do so. She uttered a silent prayer that he might be as reasonable as he looked, and waited for him to start the conversation.

When he made no attempt to converse with her, Mulan sensed that he was not at all interested to talk, and she let the silence continue, content to watch the decorations of her new room. This room was decorated differently than her former one, holding everything necessary for an efficient captain of the emperor's army. She walked near the armor in a corner and ran her fingers absentmindedly over its shiny black surface. The armor also included a sword with a shiny golden handle carrying her husband's name. She tried to imagine him in the armor but it was not an easy task, so she glanced over her shoulder to find him busy with the parchment he was reading. Letting a sigh to escape, she picked up the sword and unsheathed it, trying to concentrate on something else.

"I have never seen a woman holding a sword." said a deep, unperturbed voice behind her.

Mulan whirled in surprise, and found her husband standing just behind her. His dark eyes were watching her curiously. Realizing that she was holding a sword, which was very much against the rule, she lowered it immediately.

"My father let me play with swords when I was little_." _She swallowed hard.

Shang's amused glance slid to the way she was holding the sword, "That's interesting." he observed, slightly amused, "I hope you are not planning to use it on me tonight."

Mulan followed the direction of his gaze, realized that she was almost pointing the tip towards his stomach, flushed with embarrassment, and said with a mixture of distress and frustration, "I am sorry, I was just—"

He flicked a glance in her direction. "Playing with a sword is dangerous;" he said with a slight hint of disapproval. "It is a man's job to do so. Girls and swords never match. "

It hurt her ego a bit. Her father always taught her to think herself equal to a man, and she could not agree with her husband's opinion. Trying to think of the best way to explain, Mulan ran a shaky hand through her dark straight hair, and Shang's gaze lifted, watching the unconscious grace of her gesture—really studying her for the first time. Candlelight glinted in her hair, gilding it with a golden sheen, and turned her magnificent eyes a dark, mysterious pool. The red of her wedding dress flattered her creamy complexion and the peach tint glowing at her cheeks.

"But my father thinks it is necessary to learn the basics for everyone." It was an act of disobedience, but Mulan said with quiet, implacable firmness, "He says most women are every bit as intelligent as men.."

"Do you really believe that?" She expected him to be furious, but when she looked at his face, she saw his eyes take on the sudden gleam of suppressed laughter and realized that he was amused by her view towards the world.

"Please stop treating me as if I haven't a wit in my head!" She said in a long suffering voice. "I have defeated my father twice in sword fighting."

"Are you challenging me?" Shang teased, noting for the first time her high cheekbones and the soft fullness of her lips. As he gazed at that arresting, delicately carved face with its winged brows and long, sooty eyelashes, he couldn't imagine how he had ignored her for this long. No husband would tolerate this kind of disrespectful behaviour of his wife. But to his dismay, he found himself actually enjoying her stubbornness. "Now I wonder why you were declared as an imperfect bride."

"Will you kindly take me seriously!" Mulan was really irritated by his view towards women. Yes, she was not expecting him to have a high opinion about her, but she did not like being laughed at. "Women are not as weak as you think." She placed her hands on her hips and declared confidently.

For his part, Shang confirmed what he had already guessed about his new wife—she was sensitive, intelligent, and witty. He also discovered that she was even more hopelessly naive about social rules than he would have imagined possible. A part of him like her unusualness, but his reasonable part told him to abide the rules.

"A good wife never challenges her husband in a sword fight." He said coolly, decided to go with his reasonable side, "It is serious enough."

Mulan's heart sank. She always wanted a husband different from those arrogant, self absorbed men she met, maybe a bit like her father, but unfortunately he was not an exception. Like all other men he expected her to be his little wife- calm, obedient and foolish. He expected her to obey his orders without any question, to fulfill his demand, to bear sons for him. Any wrong step would destroy the honor of her family.

"I am sorry." She apologized, the defiant glow in her eyes was gone, "I forgot the rules for a while."

Though she had accepted her defeat, Shang could not enjoy his victory. Instead he felt a sharp pang of guilt inside him. The burden of his guilt was increased by the discovery that she was no longer holding the sword. For some weird reason he missed the view of her holding a sword with such a grace. He knew he had hurt her feelings, but he thought it necessary to teach her the rules of surviving in the society, "Do you realize," he said softly moving to her side, "what will happen if any of the wedding guests find out about our little argument? What will they think about you?" When she said nothing, Shang laid his hand on her sleeve, trying to drive some sense into her thick head. "We must follow the traditions. An ideal wife brings honor to her family by bearing sons for her husband. That is how a marriage works. "

Mulan was not unaware about the wedding rituals. But was it the real way to make a marriage work? Could she be a good wife by pleasing her husband and in laws? She looked back at his face trying to make some sense of his words. He changed for the night, and Mulan quietly admired the way his tight-fitting grey pants and white socks emphasized his long, muscular legs. He was wearing nothing beneath the wedding costume, displaying a glimpse of his tanned throat though the vee of his crimson robe, and the twin dragons embroidered over his sleeves embraced his powerful shoulders to wonderful advantage. She was expecting him to be furious with her, perhaps beat some sense into her rebellious head. But she never expected him to be so gentle. Mulan could feel the intensity in his eyes, and her uneasiness grew.

"Is it obilgatory for us to consummate our marriage tonight?" She whispered shakily. The thought of having sex with a complete stranger was chocking her.

"That is the tradition." Shang shook his head slowly, "Tomorrow we must visit our family temple and pray to our ancestors. And you are allowed to enter into the temple only after consummating our marriage…."

"But what about the other things, essential things like…" Mulan persisted, her voice trailed off in horrified silence, cutting him off in the middle.

"Like what?" Shang asked, a bit puzzled.

_Like_ _love_, she thought. Love was the only essential. Unable to choke out the word, Mulan hastily looked away and shrugged noncommittally.

_Love_, Shang silently filled in with a resigned sigh, wanting to seek some advice from his father. Somehow this girl reminded him of his mother. She taught him to value his heart above everything, while his father taught him to follow traditions. Mulan wanted a marriage based on trust and love, not traditions and biological needs. She wanted more than bearing sons for him. A part of him wished to think like her, but his reasonable part was telling him to follow the rules. Adamantly unwilling to stand out here like a besotted fool and try to teach her about the social rules he always found a bit confusing, he decided a kiss would be the quickest, most effective, and most expedient way to fulfill his duty and neutralize her misgivings, so that they could finish the ritual of the wedding night.

Mulan was not expecting this. She jumped nervously when his hand suddenly lifted and cupped her cheek, forcing her to give up her embarrassed study of decorations of their honeymoon suit. She lifted her eyes and gazed into his tanned face. His expression was unreadable, and she had no idea of what he was actually thinking.

"Tradition comes first," he said in a low, velvety, unfamiliar voice that sent an unknown fear darting up her spine. "And I want you to be my perfect wife tonight."

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	3. Duties of a wife

**Perfect Bride**

_By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty_

**Chapter 3- Duties Of A Wife**

How could she be a perfect bride, a perfect wife to her husband? Was it just about following rules, entertaining him in the bed and bearing sons for him? Or was it something more? Something more like love, trust, friendship and respect- something like the relationship her parents shared. Mulan looked into his dark, fathomless eyes and her heart slammed into her ribs. No, she was not ready for this yet. No she was not. Bent on doing anything to delay him from what he meant to do to her, she returned his gaze with equal confidence. Fastening a bright, inquisitive smile upon her face, she returned her gaze at the sword in her hand, and seized on a subject sure to interest him. "I've heard it said you have fought many battles for the emperor," she announced changing the subject, raising her confident eyes to look at her husband's face. "How many times you were disarmed?"

Her sudden change of topic surprised Shang. No woman dared to ask him such question before. He lowered his gaze to look at her confident smile, and the sword she was holding with such a grace. It suited her, he thought against his will. But unfortunately it was not what he was willing to discuss with his wife tonight. "Twice." He replied with a cool indifference.

"Twice!" She exclaimed. Twenty would have been a minute number, Mulan thought with a slight twinge of pride. Any woman would be proud to have this man as her husband. Any woman would be proud to bear his child …she thought unwillingly…any woman. Unfortunately she was the one out of the league, and no angel of deliverance was going to swoop in through the window to save her from her fate tonight.

"I see." She said with a forced smile, trying hard to divert her husband's attention, wondering if he was angry with her disobedience. But his expression was so indifferent that she could hardly guess anything. So she decided to continue with her trick, "That's amazing, considering how many battles you must have fought in all these years. My father managed to disarm me too often." She added.

"What a pity." A curt reply came from him. Mulan cringed when she noticed a slight hint of annoyance in his face. She had no idea whether her lack of skill in showmanship or her desperate measures to divert the conversation was annoying him.

"Perhaps you can teach me some of your skills." she suggested a little wildly, holding the sword close to her breasts, her tension compounded tenfold by his clipped answers. "Shall we do that now?"

Shang was amazed with her courage. No wife should ask her husband to teach her men's skills. In his last few years in the emperor's army, he got chance to train a few troops. Most of them were unwilling to learn anything. Shang was very much tempted to challenge her in a sword fight or to measure her skills, but no, bedroom was not a place for things like this. Not when she was the woman he married only a few hours ago. He discarded the idea, and walked near her. Placing his hand over hers, over the sword she was holding close to her chest, he interjected smoothly, "Women are not supposed to learn men's skills. Now I have a question." He voice sounded stern as he tried to teach his disobedient wife something about the social rules, though his heart sank when he saw the disappointment in her beautiful eyes. "Did not your family teach you about the duties of a wife? Or are you trying to avoid the next part of the marriage rituals?"

Instead of defying him again, which Shang half expected her to do, she surprised him by saying in a helpless little whisper, "But how can I please you when I don't know you properly?"

His brief spurt of annoyance at her attempts to manipulate him for the last few minutes abruptly dissolved, and as he looked at her looking miserably at the sword, he realized that he had just shattered her romantic dreams. He did not like the disappointment veiling her beautiful face. And yes, the spark of intelligence. He was really enjoying her intelligent effort to divert his attention. A part of him wanted to tell her about his dreams, the whirlwind romance he wanted when he was a teenager. As he grew, he learned that it was traditions which were the most important things to live in the society. It was rules which could bring honor to a family. He must teach his wife to do the same.

Gentling his voice, he took a step towards her, extending his hand to her. "Breaking rules never brings honor, Mulan." He said, remembering the words his father used to say to his mother too often. "Traditions are what that shapes us. You can find happiness if you follow them. Just let me teach you."

It was the words that her mother used when she fought with a sword with her father or ran away to play with boys, while other girls perfected themselves as potential brides for their husbands. As a result when every girl in her neighborhood secured a desirable husband, she ruined the honor of her family. She had no right to ruin their hopes anymore with her silly dreams.

Her knees quaking violently, Mulan returned the sword to its original place and walked over to him, trying to tell her outraged conscience that the act she was about to commit was a part of her wifely duties, a part of saving her family honor. Her parents went through these rituals before. She could do this too.

Hesitantly, Mulan placed her cold hand in his warm palm, watching as his long, tanned fingers closed around hers, finding a strange reassurance in the warmth of his grip and the compelling look in his eyes. And when his arms encircled her, drawing her against his hard, muscular length, and his parted lips touched hers, her conscience abruptly went silent.

It was a kiss like none of her dreams, not romantic, not gentle. It was a kiss to introduce a maiden to the world of forbidden passions, or what she had expected. It was methodical and slow, for he knew where it would end. Mulan was confused for a moment and looked into his eyes. He only told him to follow his lead. His tongue slid across her lips, urging them to part, insisting, and the moment they did, it plunged into her mouth. Mulan tried to return his kiss with equal passion for she did not wanted to disappoint her husband with her naivety anymore. He had tolerated enough of her stubbornness, and she was grateful that he did that for her. She was grateful because he was so gentle with her while other husbands would beat some sense into her rebellious head. His hands glided restlessly, up and down her back, her breasts, sliding across her spine, pressing her tightly to his hardened thighs, and Mulan felt her body answering to his call against her will. With a silent moan of helpless surrender, she wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him for support.

_"Is this what a perfect bride supposed to do?"_ She thought as she felt her wedding dress falling away, and then the brush of his palms against her swollen breasts, the sudden increase in ardor in each of his expert kisses. Arms like bands of steel surrounded her, lifting her, cradling her, and then she was being carried to the bed and gently laid down upon cool sheets.

Surfacing slowly from the dreamlike daze where she had deliberately sought refuge from the reality of what was going to happen, Mulan felt cool air touch her skin and, against her will, her eyelids opened. He was standing beside the bed, removing his clothing, and a tremor of alarmed admiration quaked through her. In the glow of firelight, his skin was like oiled bronze, the heavy muscles in his arms and shoulders and thighs rippling as his fingers went to the waistband of his pants. He was splendid, she thought, magnificent. Swallowing a knot of fear and embarrassed admiration, she swiftly turned her head away, her fingers clutching the edge of a sheet, using it to partially cover herself as he removed that last piece of concealing clothing.

The bed sank beneath his weight, and she waited, her face turned away, her eyes tightly shut, wanting him to finish this act swiftly, before more cold reality returned to her.

Shang wanted finish the act as swiftly as she did. In his mind, the sole purpose of a marriage was procreation and sex was only a part of it. There was no question of love, no question of patience or other things. But his breath stopped when he looked down at her naked splendor. Unwillingly, a part of him was feeling disappointed to see her squeezing her eyes shut so that she could go through this. For some weird reason, he began to feel guilty for ruining her innocence without a proper introduction, for shattering her romantic dreams like this. Something inside him was telling him to stop now. Somewhere in his mind he wanted to know her better, to find what she wanted, to wait until she surrendered in his arms willingly. But another part of him was telling him to finish his duty as her husband. His conscious mind was aware of the upcoming ceremony waiting for them at their family temple where the new couple was supposed to pray after consummating their marriage. His reasonable part told him not to break the age old tradition for a girl who had her head above the clouds.

Stretching out on his side, he brushed a light kiss against her ear, and gently pushed aside the sheet. "It is time now." He whispered in her ear.

When Mulan kept her face averted, her eyes tightly closed, his fingers gently grasped her chin, turning her face toward his. In a voice like rough velvet, filled with admiration and gentleness, he whispered, "Open your eyes, Mulan. It will hurt only a bit."

Mulan held her breath as her skin burned with the heat of his kisses, and braced herself for the upcoming event which was going to change her life forever, would mark her as a married woman. _I can do this,_ she thought. She never feared to try new things. She could be brave enough to do this too.

Reluctantly, Mulan obeyed and found herself staring into his gentle dark eyes that held hers imprisoned while his hand slid from her cheek to her throat. "Don't be afraid," he ordered softly as he positioned himself above her, ready to end her maidenhood, "It will end soon."

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**I am very much happy with your responses. I never expected so many of you reading my story. I am afraid I have ruined the story a bit after this chapter, but it is only a part of the plot. I have borrowed only a few line from a Judith Macnaught book because I admire her writings very much.**

**Errors are all mine. Consider them nicely.**


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